


Finding my way back (to you)

by soul_wanderer



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Declarations Of Love, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Red Beauty - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5421215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_wanderer/pseuds/soul_wanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Belle breaks up with Rumple there's only one person she wants to be with and asks Regina for help to get back to the Enchanted Forest - set after 05x10</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding my way back (to you)

When she heard the knocking at her door she expected a lot but certainly not to find a rather distraught Belle standing in front of it.  
“I need your help” Was the first thing that came across her lips when Regina opened the door to see who her visitor was.  
“Excuse me?” Regina raised an eyebrow at the other woman’s request, but her features softened when she saw the desperate look in her eyes.  
“Please”, she added, her voice almost breaking at the single word and that’s when Regina finally let her in, leading her towards the couch in the living room to hear her out.

They had only just saved Emma from the darkness and things were finally returning to normal again and she wondered what Belle could possibly want from her.  
“What’s the matter?” She now asked, her eyebrows crinkling ever so slightly in confusion. Belle seemed upset, that much Regina could gather, but she still did not know why she had come to her out of all people in Storybrooke.

“I left him.” Belle didn’t need to say his name for Regina to know who she meant.   
“So?” Regina was growing impatient but tried to give her the chance to further elaborate.  
“I...I just need to get away from here.” She started fidgeting with her hands that were resting in her lap before continuing her explanation.

“I want to go back to the enchanted forest.” It came out in barely above a whisper and she didn’t dare to look Regina in the eye as she said it but she dearly hoped she would be able to help her.  
Regina on the other hand sensed there was more to Belle’s request but decided to not further question her, seeing how emotional she already was.

“I don’t think it's going to be that simple Belle.” Regina’s voice softened her sympathy for her outweighing everything else.  
“I found a pendant in the shop that would allow me to travel across realms but it needs magic to work.” She had sneaked into the closed shop one afternoon to search for a way back into the enchanted forest and had been relieved when she found what she had been looking for.

“Do you have it with you?” Regina pulled her out of her thoughts and when Belle retrieved the item in question and handed it to her she studied it intently.  
“I think I know the right spell for this one.” She thoughtfully spoke up after a while, looking from the pendant to where Belle was patiently waiting for a reply.  
“Really? That-that would be great.” Belle shot her a small but hopeful smile that Regina kindly returned.

“Are you sure about this?” Regina’s voice was soft but firm, she needed to know that Belle wasn’t acting in the heat of the moment, though something told her she wasn’t.  
“I am.” Belle whispered, but her voice didn’t waver.  
For a moment they both sat in silence, Belle’s gaze focused on her hands, until Regina spoke up again.

“There’s more to it, isn’t it?” She knew it was none of her business but she couldn’t help but wonder about the real reason behind Belle’s drastic decision.  
It took Belle a while to answer this question, she was hesitant to open up to Regina, and when she did her voice was quiet and laced with emotions.

“It’s Ruby” She almost whispered and dared to look up from her lap to find a gentle smile forming on Regina’s lips. Relief washed over her when she realized that Regina wasn’t going to judge her and she was glad that she had come to her after all.

“Well, let’s get you back then.” Regina now fully smiled at her and went to get up and get the required book.  
For a while she leaned over the pages, intently studying them before finally finding the right spell and making sure that this was what Belle really wanted.   
When Belle nodded in affirmation they briefly hugged, Belle thanking her for her help and saying goodbye before Regina cast the spell on the pendant that was now tangling around Belle’s neck.

A cloud of smoke started to form around her then and a moment later she was gone, finding herself standing in front of a small wooden cabin in the woods. Looking down at herself to see if she was okay she noticed that she was wearing her clothes from the enchanted forest, silently thanking Regina for adding this detail to her spell.  
Just as she was about to explore her surroundings the door of the cabin was being opened and a familiar person stepped outside.

“Ruby” Belle exclaimed, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. For a moment Ruby merely stared at her in disbelief before closing the gap between them and finding her voice again.  
“Belle, what-what are you..is anyone else-“ She stuttered and looked around, checking if anyone else had landed back in the enchanted forest due to another curse or something else.

“No, I’m...I’m alone here. I wanted to come back.” Belle explained, suddenly feeling insecure, wondering if she had made the right decision after all.  
“Oh” Ruby nodded, before her face lit up. “I’m glad to see you again” She smiled widely before leaning in to hug Belle tightly, causing her to giggle in reply.

“Ruby, air” She breathed out and waited until the brunette had loosened her grip on her again.  
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Are you okay? And why are you here? Is everyone else okay?” Ruby asked one question after another, barely giving Belle the chance to reply to any of them.  
“Slow down, Ruby, one thing after another, okay?” Belle couldn’t help but smile, happy to be reunited with Ruby after such a long time.

Again, Ruby nodded and invited her into the cabin where they settled down to catch up on everything that had happened while they had been apart.  
Belle did a brief summary of the latest events in Storybrooke, some of what Ruby had already heard, before bringing up while she had come back to the enchanted forest.

“I left Rumple.” She quietly explained, waiting for Ruby’s reaction.  
“Oh Belle” Sympathy was reflected in her eyes and she took one of Belle’s hands in hers, squeezing it lightly.  
“No, it’s...it’s okay, you know. It was for the better. Ruby, I-“ Suddenly the words got caught in her throat and she needed a moment to gather the courage to say what she wanted to say. 

“I’ve been a fool, Ruby. I...I shouldn’t have let you leave. If I had known it would end like this...” Her voice trailed off, guilt settling in the pit of her stomach but Ruby was quick in reassuring her.  
“Hey, look at me Belle, please look at me.” Reaching out her free hand she gently tilted Belle’s head so she was facing her before continuing to speak.

“It’s okay.” Her voice was firm and for a moment she just let her words sink in. “You were under no obligation to follow me.” Ruby watched as tears formed in Belle’s eyes and she sensed that she was upset.

“It’s not okay, Ruby. I should have known. You were right when you said he was no good for me but I was too afraid to admit it, too afraid to admit my own feelings.” A few tears trickled down her cheeks and she angrily wiped them away with the sleeve of her dress.

“Don’t say that Belle” Ruby’s voice cracked, she had always hated seeing Belle this unhappy and broken.  
“Maybe I was right. Maybe you should have left him back then. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you’re here; with me. It’s okay now, Belle, it’s okay now.” Tears were glistening in her own eyes, her voice raw with emotions and she hoped Belle would believe her words.

“Thank you” Belle eventually whispered, wondering how she ever got so lucky to find someone like Ruby, and slowly leaned in for a first, soft kiss that was going to be followed by many others throughout the following years.

**Author's Note:**

> Seeing Belle leave Rumple (once again) had me wishing she would finally find her way to Ruby because damn it, she still deserves so much better than this
> 
> PS: Feedback is welcome :)


End file.
